SONG OF THE DAY: Thomas Gold ft Kaelyn Behr – “Remember”

The intro with the violin furiously playing is dark and foreboding.? The vocals by Kaelyn Baer are somewhat forlorn, about finding a girl he was partying with during a massive party and wanting to be woken up before morning (yes, party people really are like vampires when it comes to being exposed to daylight). Intensity increases as the kick drum loops gets louder and more primal, until it drops out with the last vocal note echoing and the repeated hook beginning to come in.? The hook grows in power as the drum fill crescendoes insanely, until we have one last vocal request to “say you will remember.”? Then, the explosion of the incessant hook brings the energy of Brazilian carnival or a massive mardi gras, that infinite power that a repeated sound has to motivate you to abandon all inhibitions and let yourself become part of the crowd. The seamless blending of darkly pretty subtlety with a rapturous, energetic hook makes “Remember,” the new track by German DJ/producer Thomas Gold, one of the most memorable anthems of the year.

Image Courtesy of Axtone.

INTERVIEW: Hardwell (ADE 2013)

In the press room of Amsterdam Dance Event, there was a buzz of excitement when the trio of Hardwell, Dyro, and Dannic entered.??Dyro and Dannic are rising stars, yet the attention was on Hardwell, who just had a massive Revealed party, was about to premiere his documentary, and had buzz that he was about to top the DJ Mag list.?The buzz was true and the 25 Year-old Dutch DJ/producer rose above Armin Van Buuren, Avicii, Tiesto, and David Guetta to go from 5 to 1 on the industry standard DJ Mag list.???Regardless of all this, Hardwell remains a down-to-earth and likable guy who doesn?t let the success go to his head.??From the sound of his new single ?Dare You,? it sounds like he is on his way to even bigger achievements this year.

DJ Ron Slomowicz: How did your documentary come together?
Hardwell: Robin Piree, who is the director and editor of the movie, is responsible for all of the videos of me on YouTube. We have been making videos for the last 3 years and decided to make a documentary because we had so much different footage. We are here at ADE premiering the documentary.
Continue reading INTERVIEW: Hardwell (ADE 2013)

SONGS OF THE DAY: The Young Punx – “Girls Like Disco” and “Harlem Breakdown”

Those who love Daft Punk realness and can’t wait for the forthcoming DJ Cassidy album will be excited to hear what The Young Punx have come up with.? At first, when I heard the discofied “Girls Like Disco,” the authentic ’70s sound threw me for a loop as these were the crazy cartoon characters that rocked my dance floor with “MASHITUP!” just a few years ago.? Times and inspiration change, and producers Hal Ritson and DJ Nathan Taylor did their own take on ’70s funk using their full band and vintage recording gear.? The tracks sounds authentic for the time yet modern for today, with a bouncy energetic feel- a la Crazibiza.? “Harlem Breakdown” is getting a lot of buzz, with Mixmag declaring it Song Of the Month, and it’s easy to hear why.? It’s full-on classic disco, produced masterfully.? It sounds real and full and vibrant – something you just can’t get from plugins.??? The manic energy from their previous releases is channeled into pure creative artistry.? For club consumption, Mark One (Texas) and Rocoe (Reset!) keep the disco vibe full and center and add a bit of house to the proceedings.?? There is also a harder version of “Girls Like Disco” call “Boys Like Bass,” which the more electro-minded will call their own.? As always with the Young Punx, the visual presentations add a unique spin, with “Girls Like Disco” capturing middle-aged Chinese women line dancing and “Harlem Breakdown” bringing back their long-time collaborator, the beloved cartoonist Han Hoogerbrugge, whose creativity never ceases to blow our collective minds.


Image Courtesy of MofoHifi Records.